Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands to cede the Donbas region, citing sovereignty concerns and the area's economic and strategic importance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants any settlement to end the war to include giving Russia full control of the Donbas

Ukraine’s Donbas region, consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk, is at the heart of Moscow’s goals. An industrial powerhouse in the Soviet era, it also has rich farmland, important rivers and a coastline on the Sea of Azov.

"Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month.

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to urge Ukraine to surrender the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as part of negotiations over an end to the war.

Donetsk by October? They’ve been saying that since February of ‘22,” an American serving in the Ukrainian Armed Services said.

Trump’s swerve increases pressure on the Ukrainian leader as he heads to the White House on Monday to make his case.

The Donbas has long been the most Russian-leaning region of Ukraine, home to a significant Russian-speaking population. Even a decade ago, many residents expressed strong resentment toward the distant government in Kyiv.

Russia and Ukraine have been fighting for control of the Donbas for years, and it has seen some of the most intensive fighting during the conflict. But why is this eastern region of Ukraine, which borders Russia, so important to President Putin?

PUTIN laid his cards on the table when he declared that he wants the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region in exchange for peace. The eastern zone, home to Ukraine’s “fortress